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Tips for priming + painting sub box made from MDF

23878 Views 12 Replies 7 Participants Last post by doc5150, Feb 28, 2014

Flynnr

Discussion Starter · Feb 27, 2014

I got the day off tomorrow and will be priming my box and hopefully painting it if all goes well. It is like -30F tomorrow so I would like to 0nly make one trip to the hardware store if possible

Any recommendations as to what I should pick up for products?

I was thinking about getting KILZ original (oil based) for the sealer/primer:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/KILZ-ORIGINAL-1-Qt-White-Oil-Based-Interior-Primer-Sealer-and-Stain-Blocker-10902/100371322

Will this be fine?

I want to order duratex but $60+ seems spendy to me... I will be setting a slab of granite on the top of my sub box as it is going to be disguised as an end table so I just want any black (probably a matte or non-glossy black of some sort)... What would be the easiest to apply?

Thanks for the help - I am new at this and truly appreciate all of the help I have been offered.

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wassub

· #2 · Feb 27, 2014

Flynnr, if you are going after the end table look, why not apply some cheap iron-on veneer? It's fast, relatively cheap, easy, and looks very good, especially as an end table. Just a thought, since to me, putting granite on a Duratex box is like putting lipstick on a pig (not that there is anything wrong with that).

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cessna1466u

· #3 · Feb 27, 2014

I used a couple of coats of solid deck stain in black. The only problem with it is that it does smudge a little when you run your hand on it. I was told you could spray some urethane over it and that problem goes away but a couple of coats of the stain might work.

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Flynnr

Discussion Starter · #4 · Feb 27, 2014

Because it will be sitting tight between a couch and the wall so you can't see the sides, and the top is covered, so only the front is exposed to sight and i recessed my whole front baffle 3/4" so I could put on a grille over the front so not too much will be seen anyways... the ports on the bottom of my marty-cube are all that will really be seen.

Similar to this when all said and done: aka not worth veneering IMO.

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wassub

· #5 · Feb 27, 2014

Gotcha. MDF sucks paint up like crazy so the sealer/primer you've chosen is a good choice. If you sand between coats, you can get a nice smooth finish. In terms of forgiveness, flat black is better than satin black is better than gloss black for appearance on imperfect surfaces. However, it's pretty much the opposite for aesthetics, IMO. It takes a lot of work to make MDF edges look nice so satin (semi-gloss) or flat will likely give you the best results.

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domanskipaul

· #6 · Feb 27, 2014

I highly recommend the shellac base primer by killz. It sands down like a dream and dries hard and smooth quicker than the oil base. I recently finished a project made partially of mdf with that and rustoleum latex(semi gloss or satin...don't remember) and the results were fantastic. Sanding with 320 or higher between coats is a must for a smooth finish.

EDIT: Oops! I was at HD today and walked through the paint isle. The primer I was referring to was the shellac base by Zinsser, not Kilz.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Zinsser-1-Qt-White-B-I-N-Shellac-Interior-and-Spot-Exterior-Primer-and-Sealer-00904/100398380

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doc5150

· #7 · Feb 27, 2014

I sealed mine, hit it with a coat of flat black then used rustolium bed liner spray and they turned out nice.

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Flynnr

Discussion Starter · #8 · Feb 27, 2014

Quote:
Originally Posted by doc5150 /t/1520075/tips-for-priming-painting-sub-box-made-from-mdf#post_24415301

I sealed mine, hit it with a coat of flat black then used rustolium bed liner spray and they turned out nice.

Thanks! Curious What did you use to seal it?

Hit it with a coat of flat black what ... Spray paint?

Pics?

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Flynnr

Discussion Starter · #9 · Feb 27, 2014

Quote:
Originally Posted by domanskipaul /t/1520075/tips-for-priming-painting-sub-box-made-from-mdf#post_24415195

I highly recommend the shellac base primer by killz. It sands down like a dream and dries hard and smooth quicker than the oil base. I recently finished a project made partially of mdf with that and rustoleum latex(semi gloss or satin...don't remember) and the results were fantastic. Sanding with 320 or higher between coats is a must for a smooth finish.

Thanks! For the Rustoleum did you use a spray paint ?

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JohnDean

· #10 · Feb 27, 2014

I've found that if you sand the edges/roundovers of MDF with 600ish grit sandpaper it greatly helps stop it from soaking up so much paint.

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domanskipaul

· #11 · Feb 27, 2014

I used a small foam roller for the primer and an hvlp gun for the paint. If you're handy with a rattle can, I'm sure that will work just as well. +1 for sanding the edges well with a high grit paper. Have fun!

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Bob7145

· #12 · Feb 28, 2014

If ya go with a Rattle Can you can get a clip-on trigger device ($0.79) that turns it into a self-powered paint gun, haha. Works pretty well.

I'll have to give my $50 HVLP "No Name" sprayer a tryout.

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doc5150

· #13 · Feb 28, 2014

i used minwax sanding sealer,sanded, primer, sanded, flat black then the bedliner. The camera made the spots. They could have used a second coat but they look fine indoors.Yes it was spray primer, flat black and bedliner spray too.The bigger subs i actually used black counter top material and they look great and you wont scratch them either

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